Soil
Erosion under Climate Change: Rates, Implications, and Feedbacks

Tucson,
Arizona, USA
November 17-19, 2003

Background

Global climate has changed
notably over the past century: this change is expected to continue in the future.
As global and regional temperatures have risen, a more vigorous hydrologic cycle
has ensued in many parts of the world. On average, global precipitation is increasing
and in many places the intensity of rainstorms has also become greater. However,
some regions of the world have become drier, with significant implications for
both wind- and water-induced erosion. In many areas the seasonal distributions
of rainfall have changed, with significant implications for patterns of vegetation
growth and hence for soil erosion.

As well as being affected
by shifts in climate, soil erosion can affect climate. Desertification processes
are intertwined with soil degradation and vegetation changes. Loss of soil carbon,
possibly exacerbated by erosion, releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere:
this contributes further to global warming. Changes in vegetative growth and
land use that are driven by accelerated erosion can also influence the hydrologic
cycle and hence the climate. Climate and erosion thus are interdependent components
of the earth's hydrologic cycle and of our environment.

Aims

The theme of this GCTE-SEN
(Global Change and Terrestrial Ecosystems
- Soil Erosion Network) meeting is climate change and soil erosion. This
includes considerations of rates, processes, impacts, and feedbacks within the
context of an interdependent hydrologic system. Both the impacts of climate
change on erosion and its feedback to the climate may be addressed, and both
wind- and water-induced erosion will be considered. All scientific issues related
to the topic are encouraged.

A specific theme of the
meeting is evaluation of erosion models for global change studies. To quantify
the impacts of future climate change and major land use change upon erosion,
we need to identify the most appropriate tools. This is being addressed in the
third stage of the GCTE-SEN comparison of erosion models. The models will be
run using common datasets which include a number of scenarios for future climate
and land use. Participants are encouraged to contact the meeting organizers
to learn more about participating in the model comparison exercise.

The program will include
two days of meetings and a day touring the Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed
in Tombstone, AZ.